TI BiH: 2015 Report - Progress Without Progress for BiH?

Although the European Commission stated in the 2015 Progress Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina that there was some progress, manifested solely by the adoption of the Reform Agenda, BiH has recorded almost no progress in most areas. This is particularly evident in the chapters related to the rule of law, public administration reform, and the fight against corruption, Transparency International BiH announced, reports the Patria News Agency.

Although this Progress Report has been assessed as the best so far, it is clear that the adoption of the Reform Agenda currently represents only fictitious progress in the form of a defined wish list, while laws are collapsing in all areas, their level of implementation is minimal, institutions are inefficient and uncoordinated, basic human rights are being challenged, and political pressure is visible in all spheres.

The Report, for example, clearly emphasizes that no progress has been made in public administration reform – the lack of political support for reforms and a systemic approach are the main causes, along with the increasing politicization and inefficiency of the civil service. The Report did not cover the latest amendments to the Law on Civil Service in the FBiH, which certainly deserves to be characterized as a step backward in this area.

In the area of the rule of law, political attacks on the judiciary were highlighted, as well as the lack of accountability mechanisms for judges and prosecutors. The inefficiency of the judiciary is still evident, with an average trial length of about 7 years, while at the same time, there is a complete lack of prosecution and convictions for cases of high-level corruption.

The fight against corruption is inadequate in all segments and without progress: law enforcement agencies are uncoordinated and inefficient; corruption prosecution statistics are devastating; there is no effective oversight of political party financing; the issue of asset declarations is defined by different legal solutions and lacks adequate control; the application of the law on conflict of interest is completely absent at the level of BiH, FBiH, and BD; effective prevention of corruption in public procurement has not been ensured.

The Report also recorded a step backward in terms of human rights protection, particularly in the segment of freedom of expression, assembly, and association, in light of increasingly frequent attacks on the media and civil society, as well as legal solutions such as the Law on Public Order and Peace of Republika Srpska.

Such assessments have been present in Progress Reports for years, and the 2015 report introduces clear guidelines and steps that BiH must take in each area for the first time, so that progress can be monitored in a measurable way through the fulfillment of the given recommendations. In addition, a new, scaled progress assessment system has been introduced (early stage, initial preparation stage, some progress, good progress, and very good progress). Not surprisingly, BiH is mostly in the early stage of reform processes in all areas – and has been for 20 years, TI BIH stated in its announcement.